US 6,606,947 B2Granted

Device for processing printing defects detected in a printing machine

AssigneeBobst SA

InventorsDaniel Frossard, Nathan Stern

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A device for processing of printing defects detected in a printing machine which in a first phase delivers a printed support. The printing defects (20, 21, 22) on the support (1) are detected in a detection station. A database connected to the detection station can simultaneously store information relating to each detected printing defect. The processing device connected to the database can, in a second phase, process the stored information in order to evaluate the quality of overall printing of the printed support and can use various possible scenarios, even before the support (1) is cut in a third phase, to define all those portions (23) of the support which should be removed in order to improve the final quality of the printed product within the limit of a restriction in the number of portions which it has been agreed to cut out.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A device for processing printing defects detected in a printing machine which, in a first phase, delivers a printed product starting from a support which, once printed, comprises:

a number of reference markers attached at rigorously regular intervals;
a mosaic of patterns constituting packaging material disposed in one or more adjacent rows or tracks;
and
a plurality of printing defects which are detected during an advance of the support in a detection station for displaying and locating a position of each printing defect by using a Cartesian reference system applying to the support, wherein the detection station is connected to a database that is capable of simultaneously storing information relating to each detected printing defect;
the processing device is connected to the database in order, in a second phase, to process the stored information in order to evaluate the quality of overall printing of the printed product and, before cutting the support in a third phase, to define all those portions thereof which should be removed in order to improve the final quality of the printed product, wherein the information stored in the database is processed by a data-processing interface that connects the database to a first processing unit for monitoring, during the third phase, an advance of the support by acting on the means driving the support and for re-synchronizing the marking of printing defects via the reference markers attached during the first phase, and for extracting all necessary data from a second processing unit for stopping the support of the printed product in a cutting station at a level of a downstream cross-cut followed by an upstream cross-cut, the cuts defining a portion of the support which is to be cut out.

2 more elements

A device for processing printing defects in a printed product delivered from a printing station, the printed product being comprised of a support layer, a mosaic of patterns printed on the support layer, each pattern constituting a separately usable element of packaging material disposed in one or more adjacent tracks;

the printed product further including a plurality of printing defects, the processing device being comprised of:
a defect detection station including:
an imaging device positioned to inspect the printed product as it moves along a travel path;
and
a first data processing unit which is programmed to:
generate data representing individual printing defects in the printed product from signals generated by the imaging device;
generate data representing the location of the printing defects in terms of a Cartesian reference system applying to the support layer;
and
record the generated printing defect data in a database that is capable of simultaneously
storing data relating to all of the detected printing defects in the printed product;
a defect processing station comprising:
a second data processing unit programmed to be responsive to data representing all of the defects in the printed product stored in the data base and to at least one quality-defining criterion to evaluate the quality of overall printing of the printed product and, to generate finishing instructions for selecting those defective portions of the printed product to be removed to obtain a desired final quality level for the printed product;
and
a device that executes the finishing instructions generated by the second data processing unit.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.